LPL Financial LLC Boosts Stock Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI - Free Report) by 495.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81,271 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 67,618 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $1,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 108.4% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 225.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,192 shares of the company's stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Albertsons Companies by 316.6% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 109,337 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,498 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ACI. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, January 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $23.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.36.

Albertsons Companies Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of ACI traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $22.56. 7,718,137 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,349,749. The company has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.67, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.00 and a 52 week high of $23.20. The company's 50 day moving average is $21.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.03.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The company had revenue of $18.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.59%.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.